


Through and Through

by Puff (Runarari)



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Hinted Family Dynamic, Injury Mentioned, Other, Parental Figures Hinted, Slight Blood Mentioned, Slight EP4 Convergence Spoilers, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28859055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runarari/pseuds/Puff
Summary: A short realization comes to Kasper after risking his life with Kroe for the rest of the party.
Kudos: 17





	Through and Through

**Author's Note:**

> // Slight blood mention + Slight EP4 Convergence Spoilers
> 
> Written because I miss them :)

The rough floor, the rustling around of the party, the dust that hung in the air, the sounds of distant scuttling of rats, the broken wooden planks in front of him, Alastyr mumbling about something to himself…

No matter how many things within his sight Kasper kept on listing desperately, his eyes could not help the temptation of trailing back to an uninjured Strangle who tried to settle everyone down in the rundown shelter. He was slumped against the wall, catching his breath and trying to remember what had happened before they had landed in the next unknown world. 

It was a mistake on their part to continue on without considering their injuries from the last major battle they had, however, they never felt safe within there for even a second. It also didn’t help that Kasper and Kroe themselves took some of the blows that were aimed towards the youngest ones of the party, an instinct that they didn’t realize had developed until the last possible second. 

_ Ah, how painful. _

Alastyr settled down next to Kasper as Heleus simply settled down on his other side, breathing out of relief that nothing went wrong during the usual warp sequence. He seemed to bring out a cloth, cleaning his bow like nothing was wrong but keeping his eyes fixated on the object. Alastyr fiddled with the bandages within his hand that he had received from Strangle, stuttering out to Kasper in order to get his attention.

“Kasper? K-Kasper..? Can you lift your arm?”

His words managed to break a bit of the tense frown on Kasper’s face, the man nodding before wincing in trying to attempt to move. Flynn took attention to this, rushing over to help support his arm as Alastyr reached over to start wrapping over the wound he had sustained. It wasn’t the best wrapping job, but it was good enough to prevent any more blood from leaking out. With a pin securing the bandages, his eyes seemed to ask if he was okay, Kasper nodding with a slight smile towards the boy and used his other arm to ruffle his hair instead of using his words.

Flynn smiled before getting out his lamp and settling next to Heleus, their conversation out of earshot. But even though the pain made his ears ring, he could tell they seemed down. Alastyr settled back down next to Kasper again, eyeing Strangle patching Kroe up, and smiling.

“Glad we’re here safe, right?”

Kasper cleared his throat. “Mhm.”

“O-Oh! I forgot to thank you earlier. I… Uhm, how do I say this—? I’m sorry you got injured because of me as well...” he mumbled, guilty eyes cast to the floor.

If Kasper could explain what he saw in Alastyr right now, it would be equivalent to a distraught puppy. The boy’s eyes almost watered at his own words, Heleus and Flynn looking almost the same without the tears right next to him. After all they had been through in each world, they finally looked like young village children who had almost lost the possession they loved because it had been snatched away at the last possible second.

In fact, it almost seemed that way seeing that they almost lost Kasper and Kroe.

The man paused. It’s almost as if the three’s screams had echoed out through the large chamber within his mind again, their eyes wide with fear as Kroe and Kasper had managed to take the blow from the enemy as a last resort. Their pleads to hold on were still fresh as well, Kasper blinking to bring himself back to what was happening now. His eyes flickered over all three of them, expecting a reaction to break the silence that pulled them down. It made him realize that they seemed to brace themselves as well, their shoulders slowly raising.

Connecting the puzzle pieces, Kasper’s eyes searched Alastyr’s desperately before raising his injured arm with a wince, catching the boy’s attention.

“Wait— Wait—! K-Kasper, don’t mo—”

His next words lodged in the back of his throat as he felt a hand return to his head, rubbing it gently. His hair started to get messy but Alastyr’s shoulders seemed to relax, the tears that welled up in his eyes seeming to betray him immediately. Because of the tenderness of his actions, drops hit the dusty floor, staining them. They dripped down his cheeks as Kasper grinned towards the three other boys, Heleus and Flynn shaking a bit from the attention.

“You guys did great. You guys took the leap to get to the egg despite the risk.  _ I’m proud of you guys _ .”

Alastyr seemed to cry into his hands, leaning into Kasper’s chest for more support as Flynn teared up himself. He managed a smile himself, the weight on his heart lifting up a bit as Heleus seemed to hide his face away and clear his throat. Kroe and Strangle watched the exchange occur, managing a sigh before joining the group within their spot in the room. Kroe sat down near Heleus, reassuring him with a pat on the back as Heleus shot a relieved smile.

“ _ I don’t want to lose you, Kasper _ …” Alastyr sobbed as the man continued to stroke his hair.

“Hey, kid, I’m still here, aren’t I?” he laughed, “You haven’t lost me yet.”

“I don’t want to lose you ever.  _ You guys are all I have left right now _ .”

The three men within the room didn’t know such words would be shattering, but they sure were now. Alastyr grasped at the new shirt he wore, tears staining it as Flynn closed his eyes and leaned back.

“He’s… right. We don’t know when we could lose you guys, especially because we haven’t had a group like this before,” he laughed emptily, “Wouldn’t trade this for the world if I had to right now.”

“And yet you’re still here in the moment, aren’t ya?” Strangle’s voice broke through the tension, “Despite all the struggles and conflicts, all of you are here in one piece. Give yourself some credit and settle down. That egg can wait.”

The room’s atmosphere lifted slightly more from what it was before, everyone laying away to relieve themselves a bit. Strangle continued to patch everyone up as Alastyr sat even closer to Kasper than way before. At the start, Kasper would have pushed him away within the first second, but strangely, there was a warmth that he had had subconsciously sworn to protect in everyone within the room. Even with another established fire as the outside approached night, he stayed close, trying to ingrain such warmth into his mind as Alastyr had fallen asleep on his shoulder, snoring slightly and mumbling about Bingus yet again within his dreams.

Heleus, Kroe, and Flynn had also closed their eyes, Kasper noticing how their faces seemed at peace and without the creases of rage or fear crossing them. It was a rare sight to see, but it was better than what they have experienced.

“You gotta be more careful, Kasper, he’s grown close to you,” Strangle joked although his eyes found Kasper’s getting lost within the flickering of the flames, a gentle smile on his face. 

“Strangle, there was a man in one of the worlds. Tobias Avanforge.”

“Not a name I’ve heard before, but do tell,” he sat up, eyeing how the other’s face crossed into warmer territory.

“It seemed like a joke when he said Alastyr was my son when we first met. Even acted like it if we aren’t family. I even joked about it, but…”

“But…?”

His voice dropped low as he turned to the shorter boy next to him that continued to mumble. He turned to everyone else in the party before turning back to Strangle with eyes that screamed a mixture of both warmth and fear.

“ _ I’m starting to see it might be true. _ ”


End file.
